What I quite dont understand sometimes is why let the location dictate what kind of boat you purchase? There are zero F16s in my area, and there are zero F16 in anything closer than a couple of hundreds of miles from me. Yet I chose an F16 because it suits MY needs. Obviously the F16 does not suit the needs of the local clubs. I am always racing against I20s, Tornadoes and H20s. I am usually the smallest boat on the course as well. It really doesnt matter to me, what everone else sails. I dont mind racing in open class, because obviously I will try my hardest to sail the boat to the numbers.
So why let the area dictacte what you invest your money into?
The answer (here)? Only Hobie sanctioned regattas. There is a LOT of Hobie racing going on within 500 miles, even significantly more than most mono classes.
Maybe in the future there will be more open fleets at yacht clubs. We've raced a yacht club handicap event, but it seemed like a waste. No tactics, just go like hell. In that venue, there's no significant open class here, no F18's, Tornados, N20's, only Hobies (primarily 18's) and an occasional NACRA. In light of that, I suppose I have another "choice" of boats close to the TheMightyHobie18's number, because I thrive on the occasional duel.
So in my view, for me, the best boat is the biggest, most competitive, racing fleet.
